Interview

Jan Lisiecki: Piano runs instead of ski runs

Looking forward to Vienna: Jan Lisiecki

(Bild: Christoph_Koestlin)

29 years young and already at the top of the piano guild: Jan Lisiecki, born in Calgary to Polish parents, is regarded as a great stylist of the young generation of pianists. He will be performing Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto at the Vienna Konzerthaus this weekend.

You studied at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. What significance does the legendary colleague and compatriot, who died in 1982, have for you? 
Glenn Gould was and is an inspiration for pianists in Canada. He brought piano music, and Bach in particular, into the daily lives of Canadians. I love his intellect not only in his playing, but also in his interviews.

Glenn Gould and his idiosyncratic Beethoven interpretations, are they role models? 
 I can't say that he inspired me with his Beethoven playing. But I respect him. As with Brahms, he had his own views and stood by them.

Jan Lisiecki was born in Calgary, Canada, in 1995.

(Bild: Christoph_Koestlin)

You started playing when you were five. How did that come about? Why piano in particular? 
 Because the piano was there. My parents were advised that I learn an instrument, in the sense of a humanistic education. It was part of my daily life. But neither I nor my parents had a dream of becoming a musician. I don't come from a musical family either. I also swam and skied at school. Music was just part of it.

But you became a pianist, not a skier? 
 Yes, although that would have been quite normal in Calgary.

Were you immediately in love with the piano? 
 I can't remember what I thought when I was five. I naturally had an affinity for music - and slowly embraced the piano. The concerts I played at an early age were also to blame. They were the biggest incentive to practise, because what I loved most was sitting on the podium.

About Jan Lisiecki

Jan Lisiecki was born in Calgary in March 1995 to Polish parents.

He signed an exclusive contract with the Deutsche Grammophon record label when he was just 15.

One day after his 18th birthday, he stood in for Martha Argerich and played Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto under Claudio Abbado.

His recording of the Beethoven concertos was released on CD for the Beethoven Year.

He also recorded the two Chopin concertos (for NIFC, National Institute Frederick Chopin).

How important were the major competitions for you? 
 I didn't play any. I'm glad that I didn't have to work my way up through competitions. My approach was more to grow from concert to concert than to step into the limelight with the big bang of a competition victory. Even that doesn't guarantee a career. It's a challenge to judge music and difficult to say what the best interpretation is.

Why is Beethoven so important for pianists? Have you already played all 32 sonatas? 
 No, not the sonatas yet. But all five concertos. Playing Beethoven means connecting with an essential element of the piano. He uses completely different facets than Chopin, for example, with his many colors, beautiful elements and romanticisms.
Beethoven, on the other hand, is very direct, but at the same time has these spectacular moments in the concertos with the orchestra. In many other concertos, you can just play the piano part and it's no great loss. With Beethoven, you can't do that at all.

What makes Beethoven's Fifth so special for you? 
 I always had a bit of respect for the Fifth, because it is so grandiose, so straightforward. Especially after the Fourth, with its yearning and searching, or the rather dark, Mozart-like Third. But I've learned to love it. Especially after playing all five in a row.